Keystone pipeline route near bald eagle nest ruffles feathers

LINCOLN — First an obscure Nebraska beetle, now a famous national bird.

The American bald eagle poses the latest potential complication for a proposed crude oil pipeline through the state.

Bob Allpress, who lives on a ranch near the South Dakota border, has been watching bald eagles along the Keya Paha River for at least 10 years. When he realized a legally protected bald eagle nest was in the pipeline's route, he said he notified state environmental officials.

But Allpress said his concerns were never acknowledged, so he recently contacted a federal wildlife agency.